Dear Ralph:
The first born-in-Estonia pilot was neither Lyuba,
Arthur nor Johannes, but a guy with a really
impressive name Theodor Wilhelm Franz Meybaum. He settled in Latvia in late 1890ies, visited Estonia last time in 1937 and my Dad
as a frontier guard and customs officer put a stamp in his passport. It happened a year before I arrived in the world I still live in.
The sad thing is that TWFM died in Germany after the WW2 and his daughter Nora married a guy
named Rutherford - most probably an American or British soldier stationed there. As sometimes the girls got the same names as their
grandmothers I have got the idea that some of the Anglo-Saxon American ladies with a name of Nora Rutherford could be Meybaum`s
grand or greatgranddaughter. The thing is that, if my hypothesis is true, one could find some photos of TWFM and his flights. The pilot
himself left Latvia in 1939 when Hitler called the people of Baltic German stock back to the Reich, and more than probably he took
with himself a family /photo/ album.And I am sure that to find out such a treasure would be really worth of something. I found some
Nora Rutherfords in the States /their phone numbers are in the internet/. I have gathered materials about his first flights in 1910
and 1911. What do you think about it?
All the best,
Toivo

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES - 2Via Email from Toivo Kitvel, 11-18-06

Dear Ralph,
The first born in Estonia (he)pilot made his first flight in Riga (Latvia), became a Latvian citizen in
1920, and having been born out of wedlock saw himself as German (as his biological father). By the Jewish tradition he could have
been a Estonian ( as his mother happened to be). So we have a lot in common with the Letts. But my educated guess is that Lyuba is a
born in Estonia lady of Russian stock. Lyubov means love in Russian and Lyuba is a shortened form of the name Lyubov (like
Bill- William etc)
Sincerely yours,
Toivo Kitvel,
Tallinn, Estonia

ONLINE RESOURCES

If you search for "Theodor Meybaum", using the Google search engine, (11-20-06), you will
find just two links.

The name of Theodor Meybaum will be found on this list of German pioneers. He is number 60 on the list
and is identified as an "unbekannt (Ausländer) ," licensed on February 17, 1911. You can access the website by clicking on the title above.

REQUEST FOR HELPVia Email from Toivo Kitvel, 11-18-06

I am looking for Nora Rutherford, who is a daughter of Theodor Meybaum from Latvia. They left Latvia in 1939 or 1940.
If Ms Rutherford whom you mentioned is in any way related to Theodor Meybaum, please contact me evik@hot.ee
Yours sincerely
Toivo Kitvel
Tallinn, Estonia
PS Theodor Meybaum was the first born-in-Estonia pilot, he settled in Riga hundred years ago.

I have no information as to the dates of his birth or of his death..

Editor's Note:
If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator,
please contact me.
E-mail to Ralph Cooper